Bengaluru: Hyderabad-based full-stack Space Engineering solutions provider Dhruva Space has entered into a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thales Alenia Space in France and in Italy to explore opportunities for strategic cooperation across satellite programmes and Space infrastructure.
The cooperation will focus on identifying and developing potential opportunities across Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations, satellite platforms and subsystems, satellite series production and integration, ground stations, and manned Space infrastructure and cargo services.
The engagement brings together complementary capabilities from India and Europe, with Dhruva Space’s growing capabilities across satellite platforms, subsystems, mission integration and Space infrastructure, and Thales Alenia Space’s extensive experience delivering major international Space programmes and satellite constellations.
India’s Space sector is observing greater emphasis on capability, scale and global integration; the emergence of private Indian companies has created new opportunities for the country to participate in international Space supply chains, increasingly as a partner in satellite development, manufacturing, integration and mission infrastructure.
Against this backdrop, the MoU creates a framework for Dhruva Space and Thales Alenia Space to jointly identify opportunities where their respective capabilities can be brought together. Potential areas of cooperation include LEO constellation programmes and satellite series production, where repeatable manufacturing and systems integration can become important enablers of scale; satellite platforms and subsystems, where engineering capabilities can support diverse mission requirements; and Ground and Space infrastructure, including potential applications supporting future human and cargo Space programmes.
Sanjay Nekkanti, CEO and Co-founder, Dhruva Space, commented, “India and Europe are proactively deepening their strategic and industrial cooperation, with technology, resilient supply chains and Space emerging as important areas of shared opportunity. As both regions look to strengthen capabilities and build greater resilience across the global Space ecosystem, there is a natural opportunity for their Space industries to work more closely together. Our engagement with Thales Alenia Space, in Italy and in France, builds on a relationship that has already had meaningful points of interaction.”
Nekkanti observed, “In October 2024, we were pleased to welcome Hervé Derrey, CEO of Thales Alenia Space, to co-inaugurate our Class 100,000 cleanroom in Hyderabad, established to strengthen our capabilities in Space-grade solar arrays and the assembly, integration and testing of spacecrafts up to 500kg. That interaction was an early reflection of the complementary capabilities and industrial ambitions that can bring India and Europe’s Space ecosystems closer together. This partnership builds on that foundation, creating a structured pathway to move from dialogue and capability alignment towards the identification and development of future programmes, bringing Dhruva Space’s engineering and manufacturing capabilities in India into consideration for international opportunities across satellite platforms, constellations, subsystems and Space infrastructure, and strengthening our ability to build for global markets from India.”
Building a Pipeline for Future Space Programmes
Importantly, the partnership establishes a dedicated mechanism through which Dhruva Space and Thales Alenia Space can jointly identify, develop and mature opportunities across multiple Space programmes and technology domains.
The Joint Working Group will serve as the engine room for this engagement, bringing together technical and business teams to evaluate opportunities and develop them towards potential programme-level cooperation. A senior Steering Committee will provide strategic direction and oversight, ensuring that promising opportunities can be progressed with the appropriate level of leadership and focus.
This creates a defined pathway from capability alignment to opportunity development, and from opportunity development towards definitive cooperation, giving the relationship a basis to evolve with the requirements of future global Space programmes.
The immediate objective is to identify areas of mutual opportunity. The longer-term opportunity is to establish Dhruva Space as a capable India-based partner for global Space programmes, across platforms, production, subsystems and infrastructure.
The partnership was officialised at Bengaluru Space Expo 2026, a premier Space and Satellite industry conference that brings together leading companies, professionals, and stakeholders from around the globe.
